Hygienic telephone-receiver.



No. 783,231. i PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905. L. STEINBERGER.

EYGIENIC TELEPHONE RECEIVER.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.15, 1904.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH BY-v ' NITED STATES Patented February 2.1, 1905.

LOUIS STEINBERGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HYGIENIC TELEPHONE-RECEIVER.

SPECIFICATION forming ,part of Letters Patent No. 783,231, dated February 21, 1905.

Application i'lled August 15,1904. Serial No. 220.776.

T0 L7/Z whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS STEINBERGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Hygienic Telephone-Receiver, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to telephone-receivers, my object being to provide a receiver with a removable hygienic member for protecting the ear from immediate contact with the receiver, also for preventing the receiver from rolling when resting upon its side, also to provide a receiver with a yielding member which'will act as a cushion for preventing injury to the receiver, also to provide the receiver with a shield for excluding extraneous sounds from the ear, and to act as a protective covering for the receiver.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming. a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a telephone-receiver equipped with my invention and resting upon a fiat surface. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the receiver as view-ed from the left of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a central section through the telephonecap 10 and the protecting shield or member 13. y

The body of the receiver is shown at 1 and may be of any desired construction, being preferably provided with binding-posts 5 6 of the usual pattern for connection with the wires 7 8 and also with the usual eye 9. The cap 10 may be of the usual construction, be- .ing provided with threads 11 and with a central aperture 12. The cap is provided with a concave portion 16, encircling the aperture 12. A shield 13, preferably of soft rubber,

' is provided with a central aperture 14 and is stretched over the cap 10. This shield is also provided with raised facets 15 of the general formfindicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

My invention is used as follows: The shield 13 being of soft rubber or other resilient material is stretched over the cap 10, as indicated in Fig. 3, the facets 15 being thus brought to a comparatively central position with respect to the plane of the cap. 'Ihe cap- 10 being provided with a shield may be screwed in position in the usual manner.' If desired, the shield maybe applied directly to the cap while the same is in position upon the receiver. When the receiver is in use the shield prevents the cap from touching the ear. The shield being removable may be taken off and cleansed as often as desired or replaced by a new one. When the receiver thus provided with the shield is placed in the position indicated in Fig. 1, it is not likely to roll, for the reason that the lowermost facet 15 rests iiatly upon the surface 17. By thus preventing the receiver from rolling its utility is greatly increased', for the reason that itmay be hurriedly placed upon a table in instances where it is not desirable to signal the central office by hanging up the receiver in the usual manner. Moreover, the shield acts as a cushion for preventing shocks to the cap 10 and portions of the receiver immediately adjacent thereto. Persons using the telephone in hanging up the receiverl frequently strike the cap 10 violently against the casing, thereby cracking the cap or otherwise injuring the receiver. All such injury is prevented by the resilience of the shield.

As above indicated, the shield is hygienic in its. character and tends to prevent the spread of diseases due to different persons handling' the same receiver. l

The shield being of a resilient material acts as a Acushion when placed against the ear, thereby excluding extraneous sounds and enabling the person using the receiver to hear the sounds coming over the line much more distinctly.

I do not limit myself to any particular form of receiver nor-to the particular form of shield herein shown nor to any particular material from which either of these members may be made. Neither do I limit myself to the construction herein shown for preventing the receiver from rolling on a flat surface, nor do I limit myself to making my shield in every instance detachable, as it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that certain variations and modifications may be made IOO without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent* 1 As an article of manufacture, a shield made of resilient material and provided with facets, said shield being further provided with a portion for engaging the edge of a cap,there by holding said shield in position, and further provided with a web portion for preventing Acontact between said cap and the ear.

2. As an article of manufacture, 'a shield made of resilient material and provided upon its circumference with facets, said shield being urther provided with a web integral therewit 3. As an article of manufacture, amember of resilient material provided with facets, said member being further provided with a web having a central aperture.

4. In a hygienic telephonereceiver,the combination of a receiving member, and a member of resilient material encircling the said receiving member and provided with facets to prevent the same from rolling.

5. Ahygienic telephone-receiver consisting of a receiving member,l and a shell or casing of resilient material, said shell or casing being provided with means for preventing the same from rolling.

6. A hygienic telephone-receiver comprising a receiving member, a cap detachably secured thereto, and a member of resilient material engaging said cap, said member of resilient material being provided with means for preventing it from rolling when resting on its circumferential edge.

7. As an article of manufacture, a memberof resilient material provided with a web portion having an aperture and also provided with a portion for preventing said member from rolling.

8. The combination of a telephonic receiver, and a member of resilient material mounted thereupon and provided with equidistant facets for preventing said member from rolling.

9. As an article of manufacture` a member of resilient material provided with a central opening and also provided with aportion for preventing it from rolling when resting on its circumferential edge, said member being further provided with means for securing the same on a telephone-receiver.

10. A telephone-receiver, comprising a receiving member and a cushioning member connected therewith, said cushioning member being provided with means for same from rolling.

11. As an article of manufacture, a telephone-receiver cap provided on its peripheral edge with a cushioning member, said member being provided with means for preventing it from rolling.

' 12. As an article of manufacture,la telephone-receiver cap provided on its peripheral edge with a cushioning member of arbitrary conformity for preventing said cap from rolling when resting on its edge, said member being also provided with a central opening.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS STEINBERGER.

Witnesses:

JNO. M. RITTER, VVALToN HARRISON'.

preventing the 

